Albeet francis davis



' (No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet-l.

- A. P. DAVIS.

MILL.

Patented July 13, 1897 fizvenwr: fller' 11 Da le,

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT FRANCIS DAVIS, or RUTLAND, VERMONT MILL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 586,381, dated July 13, 1897'.

Application filed May 29, 1896. Serial N0.593,627. (No model.)

To all whom) it rung/ conceiva- Be it known that I, ALBERT FRANCIS DAVIS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rutland, in the county of Rutland, State of Vermont, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mills, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in grinding-mills; and it has for its objects, among others, to provide a simplified and cheap construction of mill, whereby fodder and grain may be ground and mixed or the device employed for grinding either alone, as circumstances may re quire.

It has fora further object to provide a very compact mill having provision for automatic supply and cut-off of the grain. The grinding mechanism comprises a cylinder with removable grinding-plates thereon, having ribs extending preferably in an inclined direction and operating in conjunction with concaved grinding-plates, which are mounted upon a suitable frame held toward the cylinder with a yielding pressure, so as to give or yield in case a piece of iron or foreign substance enters the mill between the cylinder and the concaved plates,and thus preventing in j ury to the parts. The grinding-plates are so constructed that they may be readily changed end for end, so that both cutting edges are utilized. The mill is designed to be run at a high rate of speed, depending upon attrition for accomplishing the work principally.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, form part of the specification, and in which- Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of the mill. Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section through the grinder. Fig. 3 is a face viewof one of the grinding-plates. Fig. at is a similar view of one of the concaved plates. Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing the relative positions of the plates of the cylinder and concave.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring now to the detail of the drawings by letter, A designates the supporting-frame 5 B, a feed-roll; G, a smaller roll located beneath the same and designed for aiding the feeding of the material, especially when light material is being operated upon, into the feedcutter. This feed-cutter D may be of any suitable form of construction designed for cutting hay or other fodder or small brush or shrubs when the latter are employed. This cutter is arranged within a suitable casing E, and beneath the same is a spout F, which conducts the out material down into the case of the grinding-mill onto the cylinder thereof, as illustrated in Fig. 1, the bottom f of the spout being inclined and extending into the casing G of the grinding-mill, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

H is a grain-measure of any suitable construction-such, for instance, as is disclosed in patent granted to me October 15, 1895the slides 7t thereof being operated by the pivoted lever H and the grain therefrom being conducted into a hopper I, having an inclined bottom 2', and the outlet thereof being controlled by a vertical gate or valve J, which is operated at given times by suitable mechanismsuch, for instance, as that illustrated in Fig. 1, in which J is alever pivotally mounted, as at j, on abracket j, supported upon the casing E of the feed-cutter and having one end connected by chain or cord J with the upper end of the gate J and its other end arranged over the cam or cams 75 on a transverse shaft K.

K are springs arranged around the rod it, supported in suitable bearings and passing through an opening in the gate-operating lever, these springs being alternately compressed as the lever is moved up or down by the engagement therewith of the cams, and the gate J being raised and lowered through the medium of the action of said cams and springs.

It will be readily understood that any suitable means may be employed for actuating the various devices, and when it is desired to employ the mill for grinding fodder alone the gate J is closed and the cam-shaft not operated. It will be understood that when grinding both the fodder and the grain the latter is supplied to the mill by actuation of the lever H, so as to feed the required amount of grain.

Referring now to Figs. 2, 3, 4, and 5, the construction of the mill will be clearly understood, it being evident that the mill is located within the casing or housing G beneath and designed to receive material from the grainmeasure and its hopper and also from the feed-cutter through its spout.

L is the shaft of the grinding-mill, supported in suitable bearings and designed to be operated by any suitable means, and on this shaft is the collar or sleeve Z, having the arms or spokes Z, supporting the polygonal cylinder-frame L, to the faces of which are secured the convex plates or blocks M, to the outer periphery of which are secured by bolts or other means passed through openings n therein the grinding-plates N, which extend lengthwise of the cylinder parallel with the shaft thereof and which are provided upon their outer faces with the diagonally-disposed double-faced ribs or projections or analogous devices N. These are removably attached to the cylinder-frame or to the blocks, sothat they can be readily changed end for end, and thus utilize both cutting edges and so materially increase the life of the mill. This cylinder works in. conjunction with the concave O, which comprises the frame, having lugs 0, through which pass the bolts or rods 0, which pass through the vertical wall of the casing or housing G of the mill, as seen in Fig. 2, and around these rods are springs P, confined between the outer faces of the lugs o and the inner face of the wall of the casing or housing G, the rods being retained at their outer ends in the casing or housing in any suitable manner and provided withnuts P, by which the tension of the springs may be regulated. The inner face of the concave is provided with a recess 0 the outer walls of which are undercut, as at 0 and in this recess are fitted the plates Q, the outer edges of the outer ones of which are beveled, as shown in Fig. 2 and more clearly in Fig. 5, whereby when once in position they are securely held against accidental displacement. These plates may be bolted also to the concave, if desired, to more securely retain them in place. Their acting faces are concaved, as seen in Figs. 2 and 5, and are provided with removable plates R, provided with the diagonally-disposed ribs 7', held thereto in any suitable manner and permitting of their being changed end for end, when desired, so as to utilize both cutting edges. Beneath the grinder is a suitable discharge-spout S, by which the ground material may be conveyed to the sacks or any receptacle or place of deposit.

The operation will be readily understood from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the annexed drawings, and, briefly stated, is as follows: The parts being given their motion by any suitable means, the hay or fodder is fed through the feedrolls to the cutter, by which it is disintegrated, and, passing down the spout F, is deposited into the grinding-mill, where it is passed through between the'cylinder and concave and out the discharge-spout F to the desired place of deposit. \Vhen grain is to be mixed therewith, the camshaft Kis given motion, and this being timed so as to actuate the gate at the (llGSllBCl predetermined moment,

and it being known the rate at which the feed-rolls feed the fodder to the cylinder, the gate may be actuated so as to feed the grain in desired quantity to the millintermittently. The grain is passed to the mill, where it is ground and mixed with the chopped hay or other fodder. Should-the one mill not grind sufficiently fine, I may duplicate the same, placing the second one above that shown and regrind the material, which will be conducted thereto from the first mill, that shown. Should any iron or other hard or foreign substance enter between the cylinder and concave, the supporting-frame will yield by reason of the springs and the sliding rods and 1 allow the same to pass through without injury to the grinding blades or plates.

Various modifications in detail may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages. 7

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure and profeet by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination with a grinding-mill, feed-rolls, a feed-cutter and a grain-supplying device, of amovable gate controlling the discharge from the grain-supplying device, and means for intermittently actuating said gate; substantially as described.

2. The combination with a grinding-mill, feed-rolls, a feed-cutter and a grain supplying and measuring device, of a movable gate disposed between the grain-supplying device and the feed-spout to the mill and constructed to control the discharge from the grain-supplying device, and means for intermittently actuating said gate; substantially as described.

3. The combination with a grinding-mill, feed-rolls, a feed-cutter and the grain-supply box and its hopper, of a gate controlling the outlet of said hopper, a pivoted lever flexibly connected with said gate, a shaft arranged beneath said lever and means on said shaft for intermittently actuating the lever; substantially as described.

l. The combination with a grinding-mill, feed-rolls, a feed-cutter and the grain-supply box and its hopper, a feed-cutter and a spout from the same to the mill, of a casing over said cutter, a gate controlling the outlet of said hopper, a pivoted lever pivotally supported from said casing and flexibly connected with said gate, a shaft arranged beneath said lever, and means on said shaft for intermittently actuating the lever, and springs upon opposite sides of said lever; substantially as described.

5. The combination with a grinding-mill feed-rolls, a feed-cutter and the grain-supply box and its hopper, a feed-cutter and a spout from the same to the mill, of a casing over said cutter, a gate controlling the outlet of said hopper, a pivoted lever pivotally supported from said casing and flexibly connected with said gate, a shaft arranged beneath said lever, springs upon opposite sides of said lever, and a rod passed loosely through 

